Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-04-07

dred yards off, a very long shot, and one not
70 be depended on when ones life hung ON
the results
Rapidly we discussed the advisabllity of
trying to stalk the game but finally reluc-
family dismissed it. To begin with-the
wind was not favorable, and, further, we
should be certain to be perceived, however
careful we were, against the binding back
ground of snow, which we should be obliged
to traverse.
well, we must have try from where we
are" said Sir Henry.
Which shah it be, Quatermain, the re-
peatlng rifles or the expresses?''
Here again was question. The Winches-
ter repeaterS- of which we had two, limbo
pa carrying poor Ventvogers as well as his
own-were sighted up to thousand yards,
whereas the expresses were only sighted to
three hundred and fifty, beyond which dis
lance shooting with them was more or less
guess-work. On the other hand, If thew did
hit, the express bullets being expanding
were much more likely to bring the game
down. 1t was knotty point, but made up
my mind that we must risk it and use the
expresses.
LET each of us take the buck opposite to
him. Aim well at the point of the shoulder.
and high up" said l; land Umbopa do you
give the word SO that we may all fire to-
gether."
Then came pause, each man aiming his
level best, as indeed one is likely to do when
one knows that life depends upon the shot
''Fire"' said Umbopa, in Zulu, and at al
most the same Instant the three rifles rang
ont loudly; three clouds OF smoke hung for
moment before US, and hundred echoes
went lying away over the silent snow. Pre-
sently the smoke cleared, and reYealeG-oh,
Joy!-a great buck lying on its back and
kicking furiOuSly in its death agony. We
gave yell Of tTlumph-we were saved we
should not starye. Weak as we were. we
rushed down the intervening slope of snow,
and in ten minutes from the time of firing.
the animals heart and liver were lying smok-
ing before us. But now new difficulty
arose; we had no fuel, and therefore could
make no fire to cook them at We gazed at
each other with dismay.
Starving men must not be fanciful," said
Good; 1--WE must eat raw meat
There is no way out Of the dilemma and
our gnawing hunger made the proposition
less distaSteful than it otherwise would have
been. so we took the heart and liver and
buried them for a few minutes in a patch
OF snow to cool them. Then we washed
them in the ice-cold water of the stream. and
lastly ate them greedIy. 1t sounds horrible
enough, but, honestly, | never tasted any
thing so good as that raw meat. In a quar-
ter of an hour we were changed men, Our
life and our vigor came back to us, our fee
BILE pulses grew strong again, and the blood
went coufsing through our VEINS But.
mindful OF the results of Overfeeding on
starving stomachs, we were careful not to
eat too much, stopping whilst we were still
hungry.
Thank God!'' said Sir Henry; ''that brute
has saved our lives. What is it, Quater-
main?'
| rose and went to look at the antelope
for L was not certain. 1t was about the size
OF donkey, with large curved horns, L
had never seen one like it before, the species
was new to me. 1t was brown, with faint
red stripes, and a thick coat. | afterward
discovered that the natives Of that wonder
full country called the species ''Inco." It
was very rare and only found at a great al
titude where no other game would live. The
animal was fairly shot high up in the should
ct, though whose bullet it was that brought
1t down we could not, of course, discover.
believe that Good, mindful of his marvellous
shot at the giraffe, secretly set it down to his
own prowess, and we did not contradict him
We had been SO busy satisfying our starving
stomachs that we had hitherto not found
time to look about us. But now, having set
UmbOpa to cut Off as much of the best meat
as we were likely to be able TO carry, we be-
gan to inspect our surroundings. The mist
had now cleared away, for it was eight
o'clock, and the sun had sucked it up, SO we
were able to take in all the country before
MS at glance. | know not how to describe
the glorious panorama which unfolded itself
to our enraptured gaze. | have never seen
anything like it before, nor shall, | suppose,
again.
Behind and over us lowered Sheba's
snowy breasts, and below, some five thousand
feet beneath where we stood. lay league
on league OF the most lovely champaign
country. Here were dense patches of lofty
forest, there a great river wound its Silyery
way. To the left stretched a vast eXpanSe
of rich unduiating vedt or grass land, on
which we could just make out countless
herds of game or cattle at that distance we
could not tell which. This eXpanse appeared
to be hinged III by,a wall Of distant noun
talns. To the right the country was more or
less mountainous, that is solitary hills stood
up from its level, with stretches of cultiva.
ted lands between, among which we could
distinctly sec groups Of dome-shaped huts.
The landscape lay before us like map in
which rivers flashed like silver snakes, and
Alp-like peaks crowned with wildly twisted
snow-wreaths rose in solemn grandeur,
whilst over all was the glad sunlight and the
wide breath Of Natures happy life.
To be continued.
Col Utley and Senator Maxon.